Smriti Irani, a union minister, said that the Gandhi family had “rented 30 acres of land for just Rs 600” in Amethi, which was formerly a family bastion until she defeated Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 general election. Irani, the BJP’s Lok Sabha MP for Amethi, said that the Gandhis “usurped” land from farmers and others in the name of “industrialization” in an interview with Smita Prakash on her podcast.
It took me some time to convince individuals who believed me that the Gandhi family was stealing land from people. This is what I stated in parliament. Thirty acres of land were rented for Rs. 600. There, the Gandhis constructed a beautiful compound for themselves. It was alien to consider that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Vadra, as heads of foundations, might order the appropriation of farmers’ land in Amethi. However, Irani stated, “They (the Gandhis) stole land in the name of industrialization.”
The Minister of Women and Child Development further claimed that the Gandhis had appropriated a plot of property for an office instead of using it for minority female pupils.
“Girls who went against the family (Gandhi) and staged a dharna (protest) against them were imprisoned,” Irani stated.
In the 2014 general elections, Rahul Gandhi defeated Smriti Irani in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. She took the seat from Gandhi in 2019 to exact revenge for the loss. The newest member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet is 47-year-old Irani.
Political disagreements caused conflict in my family: Irani
Smriti Irani discussed her upbringing and how she obtained a Tata scholarship on the podcast. In an attempt to forge her own identity, the BJP politician expressed her frustration with the “Delhi nuisance around me that everything you do is credited to Daddy” and her desire to go to Mumbai.
“I merely desired to be recognized for my abilities,” the Union Minister declared.
“My parents’ divergent political philosophies caused a great deal of discord in our household. I have personally seen the damage that politics can inflict on a family,” Irani said.
She added that with the passing of former Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi, her father “is or was” a Congressman and stopped being involved in politics. “I saw my father weep (over the ex-PM’s death),” added Irani.
She also mentioned that her mother was a “Sanghi” and a member of the Jan Sangh, and she spoke of her trips to the “shakha” at the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) office in Delhi.
Smriti Irani also mentioned a “grudge” she had on her father’s side for questioning her choice to enter politics and join the BJP.
Irani stated, “So when I speak against the Gandhis, I speak with that passion because I have witnessed all this (riots, poverty) as a kid,” alluding to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the nation’s capital and what she had seen in Delhi. And no matter how prosperous your life becomes, the grudge you carry with you never goes away.”
